The Exploration of the Edible-Nest Swiftlet at Redang Island

Aerodramus fuciphagus is one of the swiftlet species in Apodidae family. Generally, it is found in South East Asia including Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. In Terengganu, the wild edible-nest swiftlet communities can be found in Redang Island. In 1995, Siti Hawa et al. estimated a total of 655 and 1,035 edible-nest swiftlets and 3,645 to 4,213 black-nest swiftlets by using the capture and recapture method at Gua Kawah, Redang Island. This study was done in May and June 2011 to explore edible-nest swiftlet at Pulau Redang. A total of 40 respondents from the residency and authority of Gua Kawah, and Redang Island were interviewed. Both of land classification and land surface temperature were classified using QuickBird satellite image to evaluate the current environmental conditions in Redang Island. The observation has indicated the first human-made swiftlet house in Redang Island, which is located in Pengkalan Hulu and Berjaya Hotel area. The house was built by a resident of Kampung Baru, Pulau Redang. After the evaluation of environmental condition, it is concluded that Redang Island is a requisite place for human-made swiftlet house development. This industry may become the source of income for the residents of Redang Island and help to conserve the wild edible-nest swiftlet population